On Wednesdays, I am taking a look at the major Emmy categories before nominations are revealed in July. Here's a look at the Supporting Actor and Actress in a Drama Series categories!
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Last year, in this category six out of seven slots were given to actors from Severance (including winner Tramell Tillman) and The White Lotus. That means, there is a lot of space for new faces this year. The only nominee who could return from last year is James Marsden for Paradise. He could still get in on inertia but he had very little to do in the second season so it would be a little surprising. A couple nominees from previous seasons are also in the mix again this time including former two-time winner Billy Crudup for The Morning Show. Although The Morning Show seems likely to drop off in Emmy attention, I still think Crudup will get in. His co-star Mark Duplass, seems much more unlikely to return to the nominations field. Jack Lowden could definitely get back in for Slow Horses. He was a nominee in 2024 but was squeezed out last year. It wouldn't surprise me to see him return. Another potential returnee is Park Hae-soo for Squid Game but that show has fallen off the Emmys map so that's not happening.
The show that seems most poised to take advantage of the absence of Severance and The White Lotus is The Pitt. They didn't get anyone in this category last year despite many predicting Patrick Ball. Ball seems like a shoo-in this year along with Shawn Hatosy, who won in the Guest category last year but has now moved up to Supporting. They could just pack this category with three stars from the show given the open nature of it so don't be surprised at all to see Gerran Howell make it three actors from one of TV's most popular shows.
While he's never been nominated for an Emmy, Jacob Elordi is lurking for Euphoria following his Oscar nomination for Frankenstein. He could get in despite his perceived ambivalence about doing the third season of the show. It also remains to be seen if HBO's controversial drama will be a player anywhere outside of Zendaya and technical categories this time around. His co-star Colman Domingo won in the Guest category a few years ago for Euphoria but he hasn't been very prevalent in the third season yet though it seems he may have a showcase episode coming up this week which could be enough for him to get in. If any supporting actor from that show could or should get in, a surprise nomination for Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje would not surprise me.
A very popular pick for a nomination Tom Pelphrey for Task. He was great in the show but I am still a bit skeptical of the strength of Task, and Pelphrey in particular after a disappointing run at the winter awards. Pluribus is another big question mark of a show when it comes to Emmy love. While it seemed like a sure thing when it premiered, the buzz has faded a bit. However, if voters are still on board with it then look for Carlos-Manuel Vesga to have a good shot at getting in. And kids tend to have a hard time breaking into categories like this but you can't count out Dexter Sol Ansell for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Industry has never been a show that's been able to break into the Emmys conversation, but this could be the year with less competition and more attention on the show. If that happens, there's a chance for both Ken Leung and Kit Harrington. The Diplomat is a show, like Industry, that could see its Emmy fortunes improve in a more open field and if that happens, then Ato Essandoh could be in the mix. And you'd be digging way back but there is one more former nominee in the mix. David Harbour was nominated twice for Stranger Things in 2017 and 2018. While he is eligible for a nomination, it would be very surprising to see him back in the mix.
Finally, a few dark horses include Sam Elliott for Landman, Hugh Laurie for The Night Manager (nominated in the Limited field for the same role way back in 2016), James Marsden for Your Friends and Neighbors, Bill Skarsgard for It: Welcome to Derry, Babou Ceesay for Alien: Earth and Denis O'Hare and Clarke Peters for the soon-to-debut The Boroughs.
PREDICTED NOMINEES:
1. Shawn Hatosy, The Pitt
2. Patrick Ball, The Pitt
3. Jack Lowden, Slow Horses
4. Gerran Howell, The Pitt
5. Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
6. Tom Pelphrey, Task
7. Colman Domingo, Euphoria
Just Behind
8. Carlos-Manuel Vesga, Pluribus
9. Jacob Elordi, Euphoria
10. James Marsden, Paradise
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Just like with Supporting Actor, there were a lot of slots in Supporting Actress taken up by shows not eligible this cycle (four of the slots went to The White Lotus actresses). However, the defending champion is back and Katherine LaNasa is easily the frontrunner to repeat. There was some speculation that she might go Lead but it appears she is sticking in Supporting where she's sure to get a nomination. She may be joined by some of her co-stars this time around. There was some surprise Taylor Dearden didn't get in last year and even though she was a bit underutilized in the second season, I think she's got a strong chance of getting in this time around. There's also the trio of Fiona Dourif, Isa Briones, Sepideh Moafi and the departing Supriya Ganesh. I would rank them in that order with likelihood of getting in if only because both Briones and Moafi played characters that had some divisive opinions among fans. Ganesh wouldn't really have had a shot a few months ago but the furor regarding her departure could get her in, though I think that seems like more of an online thing. I don't think The Pitt will fill up four or five slots here but I also wouldn't be totally shocked if that did happen.
As far as non-Pitt actresses, the biggest lock is probably the other eligible returnee from last year: Julianne Nicholson from Paradise. With another season that had a lot of meaty material, expect Nicholson to be back in the mix. There's also some potential returnees from previous years before last season. The most likely from that list is Christine Baranski returning for The Gilded Age. In a more open year, I'd expect to see Baranski's name again. Sydney Sweeney was nominated the last time Euphoria was eligible and she's been turning in a buzzy but divisive season for a buzzy but divisive actress. I think she's right on the edge of being in or out so we'll see which way the tide turns. One other eligible returnee is Millie Bobby Brown for Stranger Things but she hasn't been nominated since 2018 so I don't think she's getting back in.
In 2024, there were four nominees from The Morning Show in this category: Greta Lee, Nicole Beharie, Karen Pittman and Holland Taylor. All except Taylor are eligible again and yet we may not see any of them back. The Morning Show has done well with acting nominations in its first three seasons but it feels like its best days for nominations are behind it and there's formidable competition to fill up the category from The Pitt so all the Morning actresses, which also includes newcomer Marion Cotillard could be on the outside looking in. Or maybe Emmy voters are still really into the show. We'll see.
Allison Janney was a dark horse contender last year for The Diplomat who didn't make it in, but she seems much more likely to get in this year with a part that was beefed up a lot for the show's third season. As I mentioned above, the buzz for Pluribus seems to have faded a bit but when it was airing, Karolina Wydra was getting a lot of acclaim so I wouldn't be surprised to see her get in. As I said, I don't feel super high on Task getting a lot of nominations but Emilia Jones earned some acclaim for her role on the show and is definitely a contender. Ann Dowd was a winner in this category for The Handmaid's Tale and is playing the same role in The Testaments but seems like a long shot to get in. And Maria Abela could get in if Industry somehow pops after years of being ignored.
Finally, some dark horse contenders include Jamie Lee Curtis for Scarpetta, Kiernan Shipka for Industry, Nicola Coughlan for Bridgerton, Martha Plimpton for Task and Ali Larter for Landman.
PREDICTED NOMINEES:
1. Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt
2. Julianne Nicholson, Paradise
3. Christine Baranski, The Gilded Age
4. Allison Janney, The Diplomat
5. Taylor Dearden, The Pitt
6. Fiona Dourif, The Pitt
7. Karolina Wydra, Pluribus
Just Behind
8. Isa Briones, The Pitt
9. Sydney Sweeney, Euphoria
10. Sepideh Moafi, The Pitt
Next Week: Supporting Actor & Actress in a Drama Series!
